The Power of Low-Tech Nursing

Research has shown that touching patients has several benefits. One study found that patients whose hands were held during cataract surgery reported less anxiety and had lower blood epinephrine levels than those who underwent cataract surgery without hand-holding. Another study found that elderly female nursing home residents who received comforting touch - touch intended to reassure, calm, or encourage them - showed an improvement in their assessments of their self-esteem, well-being, health status, life satisfaction, and faith.